Your Producer Pack

NEWS FLASHES!

16 Feb

University of Queensland have some external spaces available for performances including the Great Court. Check out the venues list for more and get in contact with Anywhere (not the venue contact) if you are interested.

15 Feb

Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre have car parks (rooftop and undercover) available for shows between 6pm – approximately 9.30pm on most nights. Check out the venues list for more and contact Anywhere (not the venue) if you are interested)

12 Feb

Daily Planet in Fortitude Valley is a new venue opening 1 March looking to host several shows to create a mini hub Thursday to Saturday. 50 seats. Basic light/amp gear and could work for comic, music and as a theatre space but without a backstage. Check the details AT THIS LINK and contact us (not the venue) to express interest.

7 Feb

RAW Studios in Moorooka have several amazing spaces and want to run a hub of dance and other diverse genres.

Check out the listing here and comment on the Facebook post or email/text Paul to let us know you are interested and preferred times/dates.

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Thank you for joining us!

We want you to be ambitious about your work and the number of people who see it. We want you to think beyond simply presenting in a traditional open access fringe festival with thousands of others hoping a producer will pick you up and make you a success.

We want you to break paradigms, create new genres, become the new Peter Brook, Song of the Goat, Complicite, Wildworks, Punchdrunk, Shunt… You.

Anywhere is a festival devoted to creating the best experience for our audiences and for you. Anyone can apply within the boundaries of performance anywhere but a theatre and we work with you to ensure the festival is the best thing for you.

You can perform in any space that isn’t a traditional theatre space. You can perform in a foyer or a performance space of a different sort retooled (The Touch Industry was performed on the stage of the oldest “Gentlemens Club” in Brisbane in 2015).

You should not pay for a venue. We think it’s a bit rich that performers pay to participate AND THEN pay for the space they use to perform. A cost that often cripples producers before they even factor in all the technical requirement associated. Which means…

We encourage you to think outside the traditional theatre box. If you perform just as you would in a theatre you’re kind of missing the point…

As a festival we’re not interested in how many tickets the “festival” sells but we are interested in how much your shows sell. In 2011-2014 the average audience capacity was 74% compared to the Edinburgh Fringe figure of somewhere between 6-12%.

We want each show to be successful in achieving their own goals. For some that is tickets sales, for others it is to expand your audience base or to present a new work or try new ideas.

We’re smaller than the big fringe festivals (think Melbourne or Edinburgh). This means it is easier for you to stand out in a program that fits on one folded out A1 page and it also means we can spend time with you to find your place in the program.

You get the mailing list of people who purchased tickets for your show and you can use our box office for other shows during the year in non traditional spaces.

What are you going to do?

For some, the idea is clear. For others, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to help clarify what it is you want from your festival experience:

Are you doing the show to:

Change the world?

Workshop an idea and give it a public airing prior to developing it further?

Develop your own understanding of yourself and the world around you?

Provide another run for an existing piece?

Redevelop a piece with the intention of touring?

Develop a reputation or to establish the aesthetic of the company?\

Provide a new audience with the opportunity to engage with the piece?

Make money?

To invite professionals in your field to see you and consider hiring you.

…Or perhaps its something else for you? None is more valid than another but it’s worth remembering why you got involved when you’re panicking a day before you go up and things feel overwhelming!

So what’s the winning formula?

Well, it depends on how you answered the questions above, but also:

Set clear reasons for doing the show

Set realistic expectations and budgets

Do the planning ahead

Get as many people involved as early as possible

Have a way to manage the producing and creating roles, either by separating the roles or ensuring you give yourself enough time for both.

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Build Your Team

It takes a village to raise a child. Same with a show.Even if you are doing a one person show, you should aim to get as many people engaged with your show in some way before the first night. Those people become the basis of your village and your opening night crowd.Who are the key people you need?At Anywhere Theatre Festival we wanted to create a way that makes it possible for you to put performers and creative at the top of the financial food chain instead of the bottom.Anywhere does this because the core of our festival is about performance being able to happen anywhere. Using a space that works for your performance instead of converting any space into a fax simile of a theatre.That’s why we recommend thinking about your team with a focus on the creatives. Do everything you can to prevent yourself from falling into the trap of having all your ticket income eaten up paying all the behind the scenes personnel and equipment.Without you and your creative team this project would not happen, so you should be doing everything you can to ensure you get paid first.

Do you need a producer?

You need to answer the question about exactly what personnel you need and specifically about having a producer for your show. Are you going to be the producer or get someone else?

Finding a producer is also a good way to see whether there is interest in you and your idea. You may already have people you can call on, but don’t skimp on the sell. You need to have a producer who feels as passionately about your idea as you and has the organisational nous to keep you on track.

Given the format of Anywhere, often the producer is also the stage/production manager.

Why you should build a team beyond your team

By building up your village you are building your show up so it is too big to fail, or more positively, guaranteed to succeed.

Write up a list of all the things it would be good to have and then find out who could provide these in kind. Yes, you could do it all yourself, but by getting other people interested enough to provide in kind knowledge, services or products you build up the team and the people invested in making the show happen.

The venue, those around that are putting up your posters, people providing props, tools, those providing a rehearsal space.

Even little things. Especially little things because they are easy for people to provide.

In response they get a free opening night tic and if they want to bring someone else they can buy the additional ticket. Most people have no issues with this. For people providing more, a double pass may be worthwhile. Whatever you decide to do, be clear from the beginning and don’t undersell the value of what you are providing.

Another idea is to take a leaf out of the crowd funding model and get people to invest as a “producer” before rehearsals begin in exchange for an opening night ticket. Don’t price it less though, better to price it slightly higher and make the opening night a special occasion.

Everyone feels they have been part of something, received something special in return and by that point they are already talking about your product giving you that priceless word of mouth..

Is it time consuming? Yes, but if you are spending a lot of time rehearsing a piece it seems silly not to spend time building your village together and you can find more about how to build your village and audience in the Marketing section

There are lots of shows happening at Anywhere, so we recommend you get onto all this early before all the people you want are committed elsewhere and there is so much noise going on that it is harder to cut through.

9 December All day Creative, Producing and Funding workshop for Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Brisbane producers to be held on the Sunshine Coast.

14 – 31 January Secondary applications accepted for festival program only if slots arise.

21 February Deadline to confirm all your show details for the program and to provide public liability coverage and pay for any festival add ons (double program entry, insurance, additional artist passes)

Program and Resources

It is just $250 to be included in the festival program and to get access to the following resources (valued at $5,587) regardless of the number of performances or audience size.

Entry in the printed Anywhere Theatre Festival Guide distributed at key outlets around Brisbane and sent to 10,000 previous ticket purchasers of Anywhere Theatre Festival predominantly across Brisbane and Sunshine Coast (Valued at $2,079)

Free subscription to the Pocket Producer resources until the end of the festival including videos, updated templates, tips and hints ($49)

Festival Participants group inclusion with all creatives and producers in the festival.

Two artist passes to get access to artist events including workshopsand discounted tix to shows during the festival (Valued at $150)

Eligibility to be nominated for the Anywhere Awards

Access to Anywhere staff for producing and creative development advice ($350)

Consideration for an Anywhere Photographer to take pictures (Valued at $850)

Consideration for inclusion in social media and traditional media distribution. (Valued at $150)

Assistance and support to help broker a rent free venue for your performance (Value of support and average cost if venue was not rent free $1,750)

Extras (if you want ’em)

We got a lot of feedback last year about a couple of components, so we have split them out so you can decide it you need them or not. They can be purchased up front or later (with the exception of public liability where you must provide your own certificate of currency or select the purchase public liability)

+$125 for a double sized entry in the print program

+$80 for public liability coverage for the company in the lead up and including Anywhere Theatre Festival (Current Certificate must be provided if not paid)

+$25 for additional artist passes

Box Office Costs

All events at Anywhere Theatre Festival are ticketed exclusively through us to ensure the best experiences for audiences and to maximise the chance of every show being discovered.

The inside charge for 2018 Anywhere Theatre Festival shows will be 10% on all tickets sold online, with no outside fee (and no fees on tickets you sell at the door – that is confirmed this year).

Why have inside fees been removed completely for shows Anywhere ticket outside festival times while keeping for shows inside the festival?

During the festival, additional box office support is required, including higher phone support and cross selling setup between shows beyond what would be provided in a vanilla online ticketing system. Given other festivals and venues are taking between $5 – $10 to do the same we feel this amount is a good compromise to ensure we can provide an excellent holistic service to all festival acts and audiences in the lead up and during the festival without increasing the up front costs to be part of the festival.

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LOGISTICS

The nuts and bolts of producing at Anywhere are not difficult…

The key is rigorous planning and finding a great team of creatives to work with you, which is what Paul discussed in the previous lesson. Once you’ve got your dream team, discuss these fundamental questions and once they’re sorted, you’re well on your way!

Question 1: Length & Time of Your Run?

We’re often asked if it’s better to perform one performance or twelve…Thrice daily or bi-weekly. Monday nights or late-nights…We have no solid answers for you as it depends on WHAT your presenting and why you’re presenting your show in the first place.

Perhaps think of it this way: What can your cast endure and how much money do you need to make before you break even?

Its the chicken and the egg dilemma. Do you budget first first or cut a budget to suit the run. A fundamental producer problem!

The longer your run, the more chance you have of building word-of-mouth. That said, a shorter run allows you to pack it out and end on a high…it’s up to you- look at your existing fan base, your marketing plan, who you want to see your work, your venue options and your budget.

Aim high enough to stretch yourself but not so high that you become obsessed with ticket sales.

Building a new audience takes a clear strategy and realistic expectations. Harnessing the power of your fans, allows you to build on your successes. If you’re just new, you don’t have fans- so start thinking about how you’ll make them.

It’s also worth remembering that some costs are fixed no matter how many times you perform, so it’s not true to say that performing for one day will cost a twelfth of performing for twelve days. Especially when there’s no venue hire fee!

Question 2: Performance Length?

Many festivals advise you to produce a 40-minute show that can be taken down in 20 minutes to make one full hour before the next act jumps on stage to do their 40 minute…but it is not uncommon to see performances in Anywhere Festival run as long as 120 minutes.

Don’t compromise the integrity of your show just to fit it into a venue’s preferred time slot. Find a venue that fits your show or keep looking until you find a perfect fit.

Listen to Paul’s lesson Locations for more on this.

Question 3: Timeslot?

Keep in regular contact with us throughout the decision-making process and be sure to let us know what timeslot you have in mind.

As we get closer to the final detail deadline you’ll become aware of any potential clashes (for example, the one night only improv show is on at the same time and date as another one night only show- this is bad timing as Anywhere fans cannot be in two places at once!), they they often try 😉

Think about your audience and when they go out- are they late night? Toddlers? Or will they want dinner before the show?

Question 4: How much to charge at the box office?

One of the main reasons why we started Anywhere Fest’ was to make performance more accessible for non-traditional theatregoers. We wanted to encourage audiences to see something that they wouldn’t normally see or was not part of the theatrical canon.

For that reason we advise you to price your Anywhere Fest’ show at or around $20, with few exceptions. Call me if you want to discuss this in more detail.

Ask yourself, are concession tickets really necessary? My opinion is no. If you’re keen to offer a cheaper price to students then make your first show a preview and charge less to everyone. That way you get word of mouth out at the start and encourage people to sell out your very first night, which sets you up for a great run.

We’d also advise that you keep your pricing simple.

Tiered pricing at festivals just annoys those who’ll book to see ten shows at a time (and let me tell you, at Anywhere that happens all the time!). But don’t price yourself too cheaply! Going to a Gold Class movie now costs over $20 and one of the points that kept coming up from audiences was that shows are a unique experience and tickets are considered ‘great value’ already.

People, on the whole, will pay for an experience.

Remember to factor in our 10% per ticket fee. So if you want to take a full $20 then set prices at $22.

…And who has the final say?

You do. We can advise but you still rule. You need to make sure that you have a (GREAT) producer. This could be designated as one person in the team or someone outside (if you’re lucky). The producer is the key contact for everything and for all our communication AND DEADLINES with you.

Paul talks about the importance of a great team in other lessons and finding a good producer is vital.

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Locations

Why has theatre traditionally been done in theatres? Because they have seats, a license,
food and drinks, three phase power and change rooms (sometimes).

So what’s the downside (you may well ask!)? Well, for 100 seats you could be looking at $2,000 – $5,000 for venue hire, and that’s before you start factoring in lighting/sound/set and all the technical crew that are required (and who are the first and sometimes only personnel to get paid).

Instead we ask you to think creatively about your show.
How could you expand outside the theatrical box to create an experience both for your audience and for your creative team. Push the boundaries of your imagination and you may just find an exciting new way to present your work that removes major costs and allows you to present something really exciting.

WHAT TO CONSIDER

Here are some of the most important factors for any show to bear in mind during the venue selection process:

CAPACITY

It can be better to have a full, small venue than an empty, large one.

In Edinburgh, the average audience size is 9. Yep, that’s right – 9 people. We think that’s balls. Conversely, you certainly don’t want to be turning customers away night after night for want of room.

The key is to be realistic in matching the number of seats to the number of tickets you expect to sell. Think also about the atmosphere you want to create for your audience: is your show small and intimate or big and spectacular?

Begin your search accordingly.

TRAFFIC

We mean this in many senses of the word; Are there a lot of passers by? Is that a good thing? A lot of people might walk/drive by but will that hinder your performance…the choice is yours.

NOISE RESTRICTIONS

Depending on the time of night and the zoning laws there may be noise restrictions involved. As an example, Somerset Mills Productions presented “The Fearful” in an empty lot next to residential houses in West End in 2011. As a result, they timed the show to finish before 10pm, spent time notifying and inviting residents to the production and liaised with the Brisbane City Council through the Anywhere Festival to ensure the required approvals were granted.

LOCATION

Frankston has over 128,576 people, Brisbane closer to 2,000,000 and there are real opportunities to take performance to areas that don’t regularly receive them.

With a good, simple promotional strategy you will be surprised how many people unconnected to your cast and crew will turn up- which is ideally what you want.

If you are considering a free/installation performance, please consider passing traffic. We also recommend working with the local council, businesses and other performance groups working nearby to encourage collaboration and a package experience for audiences.

TIME OF DAY

Evening performance slots will be in high demand, but every place is different.

Brisbane shows tends to start earlier than in Sydney or Melbourne. Stand-up comedy tends to attract a late night audience. But there are plenty of show types – including theatre, dance and classical music – that can see traffic at almost any time of day. Children’s shows often thrive in the mid-morning or early afternoon, for example.

All locations are to be rent free for performers and producers. To make this happen, we make all locations a partner of the festival so they benefit by:

Aligning their brand with a leader in the arts community in a clever, memorable and integrated way

Engaging directly with our audience of non traditional theatre goers

Increase business profiles both locally and nationally as a creative, connected and passionate member of the community

Gain a high level of targeted exposure for their products and services by bringing new customers to their premises

Providing unique opportunities for your customers and employees to be involved from bespoke productions to volunteering opportunities.

HOW TO APPROACH YOUR POTENTIAL VENUE

For any business/venue who hasn’t done Anywhere before, they will need to be convinced that it is easy and it can work for them. Luckily, this is pretty simple.

The advantages are that the show will bring new customers to their business, somethign new for their existing customers and the festival encourages use of the space as it is instead of turning it into a theatre, so the show has minimal impact on the business.

They’re also very likely to get media exposure (free advertising) from being involved with the festival. Others will support you because they want to be involved in a cultural community.

To help you, we’ve created a few simple templates to help you sell the festival and your show to a venue and to ensure they are aware of their commitments. These are all in the YOUR RESOURCES section

If you’re too shy to make the initial contact with the business then please call us and we can talk with the business owner first.

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Budgeting

An Anywhere Festival budget is a bit different.

Doing an Anywhere Festival production means you have to rethink how and where you want to spend your money to create the show. Venue hire is eliminated as is large set transformation costs in most cases.

You do, however have to think about how and where people are going to sit and how you will manage the front of house experience. Your audience capacities are also going to be quite different.

WHO ARE THESE NOTES FOR?

These notes are intended to help anyone responsible for expenditure on a production. This is a guide only; each production is in charge of budgeting out their own show.

HOW DO YOU SET A BUDGET?

We want you to have the best production possible on what are (often) meagre budgets. The production budget is a guide to help confirm your budget. It is a common mistake to assume that there is a fixed, pre-determined amount available for each show. There is not. Instead, you should apportion funds based on what you can reasonably earn back.

The production team (director, designer, stage manager etc.) should set their own priorities and use their artistic and commercial judgement to maximise returns for everyone involved.

Our aim is to help everyone involved and to encourage creative ideas. Obviously, there is a limit to what each company can afford and at times you may have to curb your enthusiasm!

In general though, you will find yourselves being cost-conscious, even without the massive cost of venue hire!

How to organise your budget

Every production should have a formal budget meeting. This should be held before any money gets spent, but after initial design ideas have been agreed to. About 6 weeks before the show’s opening is probably about right.

You are not required to invite anyone from Anywhere Festival to this meeting, but if you want to, feel free. At the meeting a Budget Form should be filled in and signed off by your team to ensure you all agree on expenditure.

What to put in the budget

THE BASIC LIST

Anywhere shows should consider the following:

Projected income from box office, fundraising, merchandise, etc

Payment to you – the creators of the work. This should be your first expense and everything else is secondary.

Marketing to tell people about YOUR show so you have an audience Yep, that’s the absolutely basic amount.

WHAT YOU MAY NEED TO CONSIDER ON SOME SHOWS

The following items may not be a cost on every show and we encourage you to not use them unless you are going for a big large scale show (See Little Boxes as an example), but if needed they must be included in the production budget:

Properties (don’t forget food and drink)

Costume materials or hire

Transport costs to and from the venue

Hire of scripts, scores or band parts

Musicians’ expenses

Hire of outside rehearsal space

Special effects (pyrotechnics etc.)

Seating, lighting and sound*

For hired items, don’t forget the cost of delivery and collection if you are unable to do this yourselves.

* Do not fall into the trap of spending money trying to convert a space into a theatre. Find a space where that need is removed along with those costs.

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T PAY FOR

Anywhere Festival aims to remove or greatly reduce venue hire, technical costs and extraneous personnel costs from your budget. We recommend you design an artistic concept that removes these costs.

Some Anywhere shows have been tech heavy (and amazing experiences!) but if you choose to design your show this way, the amount you need to generate in box office income to pay your actors increases tremendously.

HOW MUCH MONEY IS TOO MUCH MONEY?

There is no pre-determined figure for the total budget but you would be wise to limit your costs in accordance with your predicted box office revenue.

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Show me the money!

It doesn’t matter if you’re doing the show as a creative development or as a “box office hit”, there are lots of ways to reduce your expenditure and increase your earnings. They do take time but it is up to you to work out where you should spend your energy.

GETTING YOUR EXPENSES COVERED

Have a look at your expenses. What are the key items? Who could cover those costs?

For example, if you want to produce a flyer for the show, can you get it paid for by your performance host by using the second side as a big ad for their business? Are you able to get materials donated in kind? And don’t forget that there are grant options from council, state, federal and corporates. Here are some of the things we think you should be looking into:

GRANTS

Check the availability of grants for developing work through your council or local authority. Arts Councils also offer funding streams, though many will not fund works for sole presentation.

Many trusts and charities may stipulate an interest in assisting creative projects financially, but again, will expect your project to satisfy other criteria.

PRIVATE DONATIONS

Asking for money from your existing network of contacts can be an excellent way to build up a small bank of funding. These needn’t be treated as handouts: you could always organise a benefit event or party in aid of your show and invite friends, family and co-workers along.

CROWDFUNDING

Crowdfunding (sourcing) is a way of raising money by getting people who are your potential and previous audience members to contribute small (and large) amounts to fund your production. Pozible, Indie GoGo and Kickstarter are all examples of crowdfunding platforms that offer a fast way to start a campaign.

**Be warned** A well run and successful crowdfunding campaign takes a HUGE amount of energy and time that may be better spent on your production.

If you do decide to crowdfund, do it early (long before you begin rehearsals!) and do it well. Offering rewards that DO NOT add to landfill (how many tote bags does a person need, I ask you!). There is plenty of helpful advice found online to help you plan a great campaign.

FESTIVAL TICKET SALES

It is important that you do not overestimate revenue from the sale of your show’s tickets.

For budgeting purposes, we suggest three budgets – one at 1/3 capacity, another at 75% (which is the Anywhere Festival average) and one for full houses.

Setting your price

In addition to your press and marketing campaign, a good pricing model can make a major difference to your final sales figures. Start with setting a reasonable ticket price. The best way to do this is to survey the prices in last year’s program for shows and venues similar to yours.

Anywhere does not want you to consider ticket offers (comp tickets/free giveaways/two-for-one tickets or discounts).

Why? Because it devalues your hard work and sets up a pattern where people think that if they wait long enough there will be more giveaways. The key is to set a fair, reasonable price from the beginning.

MERCHANDISE

This could include the selling of your show programmes or T-shirts, CDs or other novelty items. Make sure to bear the cost of production in mind with anything you plan to sell for profit…And be conscious of the environment…does the world need more key rings? 🙂

Advice on sponsorship & partnerships

We are not able to arrange individual fundraising, sponsorship or partnerships, but we can offer advice.

If you consider finding sponsorship and partnerships part of the pre-promotion of the show you’ll be surprised how much it broadens your audience reach even if a formal relationship does not develop or no money changes hands.

By making connections you’re widening your network. The key is to consider your proposition from your prospective sponsors’ point of view:

How does your work relate to their organisation?

What do they stand to gain from supporting you?

By placing theatre anywhere, the festival provides the opportunity to target businesses that would not ordinarily engage with the arts.

Think about what local business could benefit from their association with you.

FINDING PARTNERSHIPS

STAGE 1: DO YOUR RESEARCH

Think of who would be interested in your proposition: are they local to you?

Could they offer in-kind support?

Does their product fit with the themes of your show?

Have they sponsored other arts organisations?

Most companies have a personal mission statement on their website, as well as the names of departmental contacts for Marketing, Communications, Sponsorship or Partnerships. This kind of specificity is vital to maximising your canvassing efforts.

STAGE 2: MAKE CONTACT

This could be by post, email or (the quickest way of gauging their interest) telephone. Take it as an opportunity to introduce your show and Anywhere Festival. Provide a link to our website to give the company an idea of what the festival is all about.

If the company is interested in hearing more, you can move on to …

STAGE 3: CREATE A WRITTEN PROPOSAL

This should include a summary of your show, an outline of the benefits to the partner or sponsor, the fee (or access to their customers) you are looking for and the timescale.

Benefits could include promotional materials (endorsement on banners, flyers or in your show listing, or displaying their product in the show), hospitality (tickets for the show, drinks reception at the venue) and media coverage (in your press releases and photo call).

OTHER TIPS

USE YOUR CONTACTS

Rack your brains and ask anyone with whom you have a connection, however tenuous. Your pitch is much more likely to succeed if you approach familiar leads.

MAKE IT SPECIFIC

Tailor your proposal to the objectives of the potential sponsor, not to the needs of your show.

BE REALISTIC

Just because a huge multinational turns massive profits does not mean they have thousands to spend on the arts. Local companies are much more likely to see a value in investing, and smaller contributions do mount up.

THINK CREATIVELY

Could you perform at your sponsor’s offices? Could you run a workshop for the staff’s children? This kind of involvement and engagement with company personnel is really popular and could build a unique package.

ENSURE YOU CAN DELIVER

Don’t make promises you can’t keep, as ultimately you only stand to lose.

KEEP CALLING! You just need the ear of the right person at the right time to succeed.

Note: this year the program may not be in the same format but last year provides a guide to you on the, umm, guide

Make sure you have logged into the http://anywhere.is system as this is where you need to get your program listing ready by the 21 February. After this date access to edit will be temporarily removed and we will create the print program and set up ticketing for your event.

We will look through your final details and will let you know if we have any suggested changes – maybe we think your ticket price is not set at the best place, that the show would work better moved back or forward half an hour, or that you have changed the name of the show to be the same as someone else 😉

You will then be sent an email to confirm the online and print entries are both correct or need corrections.

Show Name

First things first – like all your show information, you can change your show name up until the 21 February deadline. With your show name, think about:

Does it give a clue about the show or is it deliberately obscure? Deliberately obscure and clever titles very rarely get the traction

Does it give an idea of the theme

Does it stand out as a title to the people you think will then buy tickets to your show. Often we have seen great titles but they have been for the wrong show, if that makes sense.

Presented By

This is the line you want after the show name “Presented by ……”

Image

The image is your visual calling card. The simpler and more striking the image, the more likely people will recall it when they see it in the program, online and in your own promotions.

Make sure you upload at least ONE (1) image that is approximately 1mb in size. Our system does not allow files larger than 2mb.

The first image will be the one used in the print program. You can upload additional images that will be displayed as a carousal at the top of your online listing.

Tag Line

It’s gotta be short and it’s gotta give some more clues about the show name and the title and the reason for going. Examples include:

A comedy about dying

Melbourne Fringe Award Winner in your backyard

Changing the world one dance party at a time.

50 Words

This is the fifty words to go in the print program. If you have doubled your program size, then you have 100 words. This is about giving the extra info after grabbing the potential ticket buyers eyeball with the image and show name.

50 words works out to be three sentences/paragraphs. A good starting format is

Intro the show with a short sentence

More exciting detail about the show or the people behind it

Quote from a review, audience member or closing line.

Full Description

This is the chance to build on the 50/100 words and put in more detail. We still recommend keeping it tight with the fifty words and then continuing with more detail.

Remember that everything you add must help to sell your show. If it doesn’t and just muddies the water, don’t include it.

Things to add in here could include:

Video links – include the link and we will set it up to appear as a clip in your listing

More quotes

PARTNERS AND LOGOS

The Full Description is also the place to acknowledge all people and organisations that have assisted or funded your project.

Check the required text and also add logos in here. We will format and resize them to work best so don’t worry about the size or format not looking right when you

Dates and Times

Using the calendar, select the dates you will be performing. Make sure you select 2018 and not May 2017 😉

Enter the times manually in the times section. If you have different times or a difficult schedule, enter them all like this ” Thursday 10 May @ 2pm & 7pm, Friday 11 May @ 5.30pm”. By typing it out fully, it acts as a double check that the day and date match.

Ticket Prices

Enter your ticket prices. Remember you take 90%, so if you want to take home $20 pet ticket, set them at $22.

Alex would always recommend going for one flat price in the middle of the full and concession price, but if you want full and concession prices, we completely understand.

Please don’t set your ticket prices and then lower the prices when you get closer to the show. There are so many reasons why this is wrong and we are unlikely to make the change.

We are happy though for you to specific that tickets bought before a date are, for example $20 and tickets after a date are $25. This encourages and rewards early booking. Not many shows have done it but we feel it is something worth considering, depending on your show and your expected audience.

If you want to have a specific price for Artist prices, please include. This could be a discount, or on specific performances only, or subject to availability.

CAPACITY

If you don’t know your capacity, err on the safe side and underestimate. It is easier for us to add capacity than to take it away. See the next point.

WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE AFTER THE PROGRAM IS LAUNCHED

The print program is confirmed from 21 February (unless you have notified us of details to come), however, once the program is launched, we can make the following changes to your online listing:

We can add extra show dates. Many shows in the past have done this, starting with a couple of performances, getting them nearly sold out and then releasing tickets for a new planned performance that wasn’t listed.

You can update your description with new videos, updated text.

Main imagery – we don’t recommend it though because it changes the visual clues that audiences are looking for.

Special Information – We know that requirements may changes around parking and logistics that may help the audience. This information will also go into the ticket receipt when people book.

WHAT YOU CAN’T OR SHOULDN’T CHANGE

We do not recommend changing the following because it opens up a whole range of issues for you and audiences:

Marketing and PR

FIRST STEP

It’s very important to sell your show simply and clearly. You need to sit down and figure out:

Who would want to see your show?

What they’d like about it?

What does your show offer as an experience that would make it stand out?

What particular aspect of your show would intrigue people and make them want to know more by paying for a ticket?

Once you’ve established this, maintain a consistent but evolving message through all your publicity and marketing materials. This allows it to cut through with repetition that makes it easier for people to remember.

If you combine the best marketing strategies you can realistically afford with a focused publicity campaign, your show will benefit enormously. An effective and clever marketing campaign can spell the difference between a successful show and a promising one that simply didn’t sell the concept.

Don’t focus on what you can’t afford to do. Instead, focus on being creative, flexible and smart with the resources you have.

MARKETING VS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

MARKETING is a direct attempt to focus attention towards your show. Marketing generally involves paid promotional activities such as advertising or flyers, for which you directly control the message.

PUBLIC RELATIONS works by directing the media (traditional and social) to see the news value and potential public interest in your show and publicising it for you…for free.

Insurance & legals

Public liability covers you for any damage to property or injury to individuals who attend your show (for example, if a patron trips, falls and injures herself while attending your show) this insurance will indemnify your company in the event of someone making a claim but only if you have acted with due diligence in ensuring all hazards were minimised in the lead up to, and during your run.

We cannot articulate strongly enough how vital it is that you fulfil your obligations under the law and under the agreement you entered into with Anywhere Festival Limited.

If you don’t have your own cover, either think long term and head to a year long cover (individual or group) with someone like Duck for Cover and upload your certificate of currency to your show listing.

If you don’t have separate cover, you must buy into the Anywhere Public Liability (link here) which covers your entire team for $80.

The cover you buy into with Anywhere Theatre Festival covers your show as a group and the venue, regardless of whether it is public or private to the value of $20m.

The only thing to remember is that you must also provide a completed risk assessment okayed by us prior to the commencement of the show. Without it, you will not be covered by the insurance.

The purpose of a risk assessment is to keep people and productions safe by identifying, controlling and, where possible, eliminating occupational health and safety hazards onstage, backstage and for your audience. We discuss risk assessments and how to do one in detail in the following lesson.

The advice below is general advice for all companies:

COPYRIGHT

If you are performing a work that is under copyright, you must get permission in writing from the author or his/her literary agent or publisher.

Typically, a work remains under copyright for the length of its author’s life plus 70
years, though there are numerous exceptions to this rule. It’s your responsibility to find out your obligations under the law and, if necessary, to pay the appropriate copyright fees.

These are usually calculated as a percentage of box office revenue and are sometimes subject to a minimum payment requirement.

You can usually find the contact details for an author’s literary agent or publisher on the inside cover or early pages of the script.

All communications should be in writing and you may be required to pay a deposit (treated as an advance against royalties) as soon as a fee is agreed. Even if you have already gained permission to perform your production elsewhere, you’ll need to ask for permission again to perform it at Anywhere Festival.

APRA & AMCOS

APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) and AMCOS (Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners’ Society) administer the rights of the world’s composers, songwriters and publishers in Australia and New Zealand.

If you intend to use copyrighted music (either live or prerecorded) you’ll need to obtain the appropriate license.

ILLICIT OR CONTROVERSIAL CONTENT

The police can close down a show that includes indecency or the presentation of obscene acts. The Theatres Act 1968, which regulates the licensing of venues for theatrical performance, makes certain provisions against the performance of works that are considered to be obscene, to incite racial hatred or to provoke a breach of the peace.

You may also be at risk of falling foul of recent terrorism legislation that makes an offence of any indirect encouragement of terrorism. If lampooning a public or other real-life figure, you must be wary of a portrayal that could be considered defamatory or damaging.

Check with the us if you are at all concerned about your legal position.

EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

If your show includes any special requirements (e.g., pyrotechnics, death-defying acts…late performance times), you should check these with the venue manager and ensure the Council is notified, in case an inspection is required.

GOING GREEN

We encourage you to consider the environmental impact of your event, and to investigate ways to reduce this impact.The following websites contain information and suggestions on going green:

Serving Alcohol

Before we state, anything, we ned to point you to the Office of Liquor and Gaming, which is the source of all our information. Processes and rules change and though we try to be as accurate as possible, we always recommend going to the OLG web site for up to date information

So you want to sell alcohol at your Anywhere event. Here are the three options

Run your event in a business with a liquor permit

Factor a drink into the price of your ticket and provide the alcohol for free

Provide a bar where people can make a donation

Set up a bar to sell alcohol

Do I need a permit?

The Office of Liquor of Gaming has a quick quiz to allow you to test if you require a Community Liquor Permit. It is at this link.

We have run through this with several different examples and have found we get a “No Permit required” for options 2-4 above. Option 1. will already have a licence.

When filling it out, remember that your event is under the auspice of Anywhere Theatre Festival, a not for profit organisation and all proceeds are going towards our vision of enabling performances anywhere, which includes payment to you as artists.

Serving Alcohol Responsibly

If you decide to provide alcohol, it is important to do so responsibly. The Office of Liquor and Gaming has a number of things that are recommended. Following them will ensure you are following the required legislation. Once again, always check their web site as a final arbiter.

Signage at the event. A number of the signs can be downloaded from the Queensland Government web site at this link. Choose your discretion on the types that are required for your circumstance.

At least one person who is accredited as a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA). The course can be done online for $17-$25 and we recommend ensuring one person in your team has done this course.

Payment method. We can provide online payment options but we also recommend having cash float available

An event plan that factors in how the liquor will be served and rubbish disposed. These could be as simple as a couple of lines for small shows and a more detailed plan for events with 100-200 people in attendance.

WATCH

Risk assessments

If you have opted in to Anywhere’s public liability coverage, you will need to provide a risk assessment to us that we okay. With out, you are not covered because we don’t know your risks, what you plan to do to minimise high risks and what you will do if the risks eventuate.

More About Risk

The purpose of a risk assessment is to keep people and productions safe by identifying, controlling and, where possible, eliminating occupational health and safety hazards onstage, backstage and for your audience.

Definitions

Note: These definitions are provided for clarity and guidance only.

Best Practice

A program, process, method, technique, strategy or activity that:

has been shown to be effective in the prevention of workplace injury or illness

has been implemented, maintained and evaluated

is based on current information

is of value to, or transferable to, other organizations.

Competent Person

“A person who:

is qualified because of knowledge, training and experience to organise the work and its performance

is familiar with the OHSA and its regulations that apply to the work, and

has knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in the workplace

Controls

Measures designed to eliminate or reduce occupational hazards or hazardous exposure.

Due Diligence

The level of judgement, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to display under particular circumstances. In terms of health and safety, this means taking all reasonable precautions, to prevent injuries or incidents in the workplace.

Hazard

Any condition or circumstance that has the potential to cause injury or illness.

Likelihood

The probability of a hazard leading to an occupational injury or illness.

Risk Assessment

Careful evaluation of all equipment, machinery, work areas and processes to identify potential hazards that workers may be exposed to and assessment of the impact of the identified hazards on those that work in the area. Assessing the risk means determining the likelihood that the hazard may lead to injury or illness and the severity of that potential injury or illness.

Severity

The seriousness of the potential occupational injury or illness resulting from a hazard.

Supervisor

“A person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker”. In live performance, this could include a production manager, technical director or equivalent.

Procedure

The theatre company/group should designate one or more competent person(s) to conduct the risk assessment. This person should be a Supervisor such as a Production Manager, Technical Director, or equivalent. The Stage Manager, once hired, should be involved in the assessment.

The Supervisor(s) should draft the risk assessment for all elements of the production as soon as preliminary designs are submitted. This process should begin as early as possible in the planning of the production and should continue throughout the production process.

Identify those individuals who could be affected, including performers, production staff, cleaners, contractors, maintenance workers, etc. Recognise that people who are pregnant, young, elderly, or who have a disability may be especially vulnerable.

Identify how the hazard could cause harm. Consider how your work affects other workers present as well as how their work affects your workers

3. Evaluate the hazard and decide on precautions

Determine a Risk Rating for each hazard by considering the likelihood and severity of an occupational injury or illness resulting from each hazard.

Likelihood – Estimate, using High, Medium or Low, how likely or probable it is that the hazard will cause injury or illness.

Severity – Estimate, using Major, Moderate or Minor, how serious the injury or illness could be.

Risk Rating – Plot the Likelihood and Severity on the Risk Rating Chart to determine the Risk Rating.

4. Control of health and safety hazards

The control of hazards is a general duty for employers under the OH&S Act. Legal requirements governing exposure to various safety hazards can be found in the sector-specific regulations. Health hazards are either covered by the sector regulations or separate hazard-specific regulations.Wherever possible, hazards should be removed. If this is not possible, controls should be designed to eliminate or reduce the hazard to levels that present a minimal risk to worker health and safety. Types of controls, in order of preference, include:

Engineering controls physically control hazards, and are the first and preferred choice of hazard control methods. (Examples include substitution (e.g. using a less toxic chemical, building a catwalk with guardrails) isolation (e.g. isolating noise using soundproof barriers), and ventilation (e.g. installing local exhaust).

Administrative controls are the second choice of hazard control methods and include the development and use of procedures, worker training, scheduling and supervision, preventive maintenance programs, signage, etc.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to lessen the potential harmful effects of exposure to a known hazard. PPE is considered the last resort of hazard control and should be used only after engineering and administrative controls have been shown to be impractical, ineffective or insufficient. (Examples include eye protection, protective clothing, fall protection, foot protection, head protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, etc.)

Where there are no legal requirements under the OH&S Act or its regulations governing the exposure to a particular hazard, select appropriate controls for that hazard, taking into consideration time and feasibility. No person should be exposed to a hazard that has not been adequately controlled. If controls cannot be implemented for any reason, the activity posing the hazard should not be attempted.

5. Record findings and implement controls

Decide who will track the controls and issue updates, with the frequency of updates determined by the complexity of the production.

Ensure that administrative controls are followed and personal protective equipment is used. Employers have a duty to ensure that prescribed equipment, materials and protective devices are provided and workers have a duty to wear and use the prescribed personal protective equipment.

Continue the risk assessment process throughout production, including discussions at scheduled meetings. Production is a fluid process so conditions should be monitored continuously for new or evolving hazards. Details related to props, wardrobe, wigs and make-up may not emerge until rehearsals begin. As circumstances change, the risk assessment should be updated.

If a health or safety issue arises during the rehearsal period that is not in the risk assessment, it should be resolved through discussion and corrective action that meets or exceeds the requirements of your state’s OH&S Laws.

If the issue cannot be resolved in this way, Workers have the right to refuse unsafe work. The Supervisor should postpone the potentially unsafe action until a final resolution has been reached and corrective action has been taken, if required.

Ensure that the written risk assessment is updated and the version is archived for future reference.

Sample schedule for risk assessment

Pre-season / before the first rehearsal

The Production Manager/Technical Director (PM/TD) will draft the risk assessment as soon as preliminary designs are submitted. The PM/TD will lead a risk assessment meeting before the first rehearsal.

Those in attendance should include, Stage Managers, Designers, Director, Choreographer and Fight Director (as required) should be included.

Following the meeting, Stage Management will post and distribute the risk assessment to those in attendance as well as the Designers, Director, Choreographer and Fight Director if they were unable to attend. After the initial form has been completed and the risk assessment meeting has been held, the PM/TD and Stage Manager for each production shall agree on who will track and issue updates, with the frequency of updates determined by the complexity of the production.

During the rehearsal period

Stage Management (PM/TD) will identify necessary changes and collaborate with the creative team on updates of the risk assessment. The PM/TD will continue be actively involved in the risk assessment and will schedule meetings to discuss health and safety issues as needed.

The risk assessment should be reviewed at these points in a production:

First Runthrough/Workthrough (in the rehearsal hall or onstage), when the whole play has been blocked.

Prior to Cue to Cue.

Prior to First Preview (The PM/TD or Stage Manager will notify the House Manager of any effects that may affect the audience (such as live flame), so that Front of House staff may be informed.)
After First Preview.

After Opening.

Periodically throughout the run of the production, as appropriate.

At any change in the run of the production including personnel, venue, and production element.

WATCH

Opening Night and Performances

Apart from making sure your show goes up as scheduled in the programme, you have a number of administrative and legal requirements as per your Anywhere Festival contract.

Fulfilling these requirements on a daily basis will ensure that your box office takings are transferred to you immediately upon close of your show.

If you choose not to do it daily, you may find it more difficult to stay on track with audience totals, holds and Risk documentation.

DAILIES

Please complete your daily ticket sales reports here after every performance. It keeps track of your daily audience totals, including booked and total audience. It also asks whether there were any incidences to report. If yes, please see point (3).

TICKET HOLDS

Please keep Anywhere up-to-date via email with regard to comp ticket requirements. If you know you’ve invited 20 industry professionals/ guests but we have only 10 on hold, the venue has every right to stop your guests from entering the premises, especially if it creates a fire risk.

Send us an email with the name of your comps, how many tickets they want and an email address and we will issue the tickets straight to them. Easy! …And don’t think, “Oh there’ll be plenty of space”, plenty of shows maxed out capacity and had to turn people away on the door.

OH&S INCIDENT REPORTS

If you answered “Yes” to the question: “Do you have an Incident to Report” on the Dailies form then please complete the details on the form so we have a record on file.

FRONT-OF-HOUSE

Do not under estimate the value of a well run Front-of-House.

Each production is responsible for finding their own front-of-house staff. Please ensure they’ve been properly briefed about collecting monies, petty cash and how you’d like them to corral the audience to signify start time etc.

Remember, this festival goes up in unconventional venues that won’t have flashing lights/sounds to signify it is time to take your seat- there may not even be seats, so plan ahead and consider the FoH experience as an integral part of the design of your show.

Now, if you are SOLD OUT out and you get walk-ups on the night, it is your call whether to accept them. If your venue is at risk of over-capacity then you must legally turn them away and perhaps offer them a ticket to another performance (people are especially nice if you give them a 2-4-1), but if you have permission from your venue to extend capacity and it does not break any laws, then please use your discretion.

TICKET BOOKINGS

You can access your ticket bookings at any time by logging in to your artist dashboard.

Navigate to your Events and click View Attendees. You will be able to print, email or export this to your preferred method. Ticket sales will go off-sale 60 minutes before your show goes up. Unless, of course, your shows sells out before then!

When that happens Alex will send through your financial summary so you can issue an invoice as soon as you have finished your run.

Finally, every patron that books online or by phone is told that they are not required to print their tickets.

This is an Anywhere policy that we ask you to honour in a bid to save the planet.

If they quote their name/booking number that corresponds to the number and name listed on your door list, then please accept this as proof of purchase. We rarely have incidences of people taking advantage of this system!

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Wrap up

Congratulations! It’s all over!

Hopefully, you’ve satisfied all the goals you set yourselves way back in Lesson 1…Why not look back and check- you may even surprise yourself!

The best experiences at Anywhere come from artists who used the festival to aim high- whether that’s by aiming for sell-out crowds or garnering five star reviews- everyone’s ‘high’ is different. Perhaps being seen by the powers that be in established theatre was your goal- did you succeed?

….Others use our platform to learn- to learn how to fail so that next time, they can thrive.

That’s the beauty of Anywhere.

Hopefully…you’ve gotten some great press, reviews for your next show, images, and discovered a new way of working…but what now?

Paul chats in the next lesson about life after Anywhere but right now, there’s a few things I need to wrap up your time with us here at Anywhere Fest and of course… get paid!

(This is my favourite bit!)

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to issue me with an invoice via email – if you’re not familiar with how to invoice, I’ve included an invoice template in the attachments at the bottom of this lesson.

You’ll also need to ensure I have all your attendance figures. Either in the form of dailies (outlined in Lesson 8 and linked below), via the excel spreadsheet of your downloaded door lists or simply by email…as long as I have them, I’m happy- you’re happy- we’re all happy!

You’ll also need to complete the feedback survey, found at the Anywhere Tools page so that we can release your box office takings.

We will not issue box office until you have completed this form. Your answers help us to improve our service to you and inform our grant and funding applications. Your opinion matters.

You will be paid no later than five working days after you’ve submitted all your forms.

Do telephone the office on 07 3102 4683 if you’re unsure whether you’ve submitted all the necessary paperwork or there’s a delay in your payment.

On that note, congratulations! You’ve done a sterling job getting your new work to the stage. Thanks so much for being part of Anywhere Festival!

Lesson Links & Downloads

WATCH

What next?

Thank you for joining us! You’ve worked hard to bring your show to the festival, but what is the next step?There are tons of festivals all over Australia (and indeed Internationally). Just google “world festival network” for a list of several hundred. I bet tons would love to have your show in their line-up.Could your production extend its run? Or maybe your event could be a monthly event in your area…Or can it tour widely? …Find your tribe and you’ll find your audience!Watch the video above for inspiration!

Your Resources

We’ve put all the resources in one spot so you can find them fast! Some resources are web links, others downloads (.xls etc.) – all will open in a new browser window.